Astrophysics Major
Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: 52-59
- Grade Requirement: Students must complete all coursework for the Astrophysics major with a grade of at least a C-.
Required Introductory Courses
Majors in Astrophysics are required to complete a series of introductory courses.
Students may take either:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PHYSICS 1740 | Physics I | 3 |
| PHYSICS 1741 | Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYSICS 1742 | Physics II | 3 |
| PHYSICS 1743 | Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
| Total Units | 8 | |
or (recommended for majors):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PHYSICS 1741 | Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYSICS 1743 | Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYSICS 1760 | Focused Physics I | 4 |
| PHYSICS 1762 | Focused Physics II | 4 |
| Total Units | 10 | |
Required Courses
In addition, majors in Astrophysics are required to complete the following courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PHYSICS 2170 | Introduction to Quantum Physics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 3322 | Physical Measurement Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYSICS 3331 | Introduction to Astrophysics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4011 | Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4021 | Electricity and Magnetism | 3 |
| Total Units | 15 | |
One additional laboratory course must be chosen from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 4035 | Nuclear and Radiochemistry Lab | 3 |
| PHYSICS 3321 | Electronics Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYSICS 3323 | Optics and Wave Physics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4027 | Introduction to Computational | 3 |
Required Advanced Courses
In addition to the above requirements, students who are earning the Astrophysics major are required to complete three advanced electives (3000 level and above). Students who declare an Astrophysics major and who complete both PHYSICS 1625 Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology and PHYSICS 1626 Solar System Astronomy will be required to complete two advanced electives (3000 level and above). They will choose courses from the following list. Students must receive letter grades for these advanced courses.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PHYSICS 3330 | Planets and Life in the Universe | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4646 | Galactic Astrophysics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4656 | Stellar Astrophysics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4660 | X-ray & Gamma-ray Astrophysics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4676 | Astrophysics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4678 | From Black Holes to Big Bang | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4680 | Astrostatistcis | 3 |
They must also complete one additional course from the preceding list of seven courses or one from the following list of courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| EEPS 3530 | Earth Forces | 4 |
| EEPS 4075 | Remote Sensing | 3 |
| MEMS 3410 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4022 | Electricity and Magnetism II | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4027 | Introduction to Computational Physics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4074 | Introduction to Particle Physics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 4077 | Physics of Finite and Infinite | 3 |
| PHYSICS 5470 | Intro to Elemantary Particle Physics | 3 |
| PHYSICS 5580 | Relativistic Astrophysics | 3 |
Required Math Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1510 | Calculus I | 3 |
| MATH 1520 | Calculus II | 3 |
| MATH 2130 | Calculus III | 3 |
| MATH 2500 | Differential Equations | 3 |
| Total Units | 12 | |
Students who have completed MATH 2801 Honors Mathematics I and MATH 2802 Honors Mathematics II will have fulfilled the requirement for MATH 1510 Calculus I, MATH 1520 Calculus II, and MATH 2130 Calculus III.
Science-Breadth Requirement
Majors must select one of the following courses to satisfy the science-breadth requirement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 1601 | Principles of General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 1602 | Principles of General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 1701 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 1702 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 1751 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 3 |
| CHEM 1752 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 3 |
| CHEM 4010 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 4020 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 4079 | Instrumental Methods: Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CSE 1301 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| CSE 1302 | Introductory to Computer Engineering | 3 |
| CSE 2407 | Data Structures and Algorithms | 3 |
| EEPS 2021 | Introduction to Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science | 3 |
Students who receive Advanced Placement credit or the equivalent of advanced placement credit (indicated with the use of CHEM 1030 Advanced Placement Chemistry I and/or CHEM 1040 Advanced Placement Chemistry II by the Chemistry department) may use those credits toward the science-breadth requirement.
Additional Information
Senior Honors
The Physics department also offers Physics majors the possibility to earn departmental distinctions. These distinctions require the same grade point average cutoffs as Latin honors but are calculated exclusively from the grades in Physics courses (i.e., all courses with the prefix PHYSICS). Three levels of distinction are offered: 1) highest distinction; 2) high distinction; and 3) distinction. The highest and high distinctions require at least one semester of undergraduate research and a senior thesis describing the results; these distinctions are limited to the top 15% (highest distinction) and the top 15% to 50% (high distinction) of the physics majors in their senior year as ranked by their GPA in Physics courses. Students who meet the GPA cutoff but who do not undertake undergraduate research and a senior thesis may only receive the third level of distinction.
Transfer Credit and Study Abroad
Students may transfer up to 9 credits of advanced coursework (3000+ level) to satisfy major requirements by taking comparable physics courses at another institution. Prior approval by the department is needed. Online or other distance learning courses are not eligible for transfer credit.
Contact Info
| Website: | http://physics.wustl.edu |